Northern Virginia Catholic Bible Study House rules/notes… 1. Meetup is www.meetup.com/catholicbiblestudy Zoom Meeting Logon info is the same every week: Zoom ID: 861 1782 2081 Password: 406952 2. Questions encouraged. If you have questions about anything, you can ask in the chat, email the Meetup group, or me directly at ron@hallagan.net. 3. Unedited recaps of meetings are posted via Meetup after our meeting. The final edited recap is posted on our Catholic Catacombs Light website www.catholiccatacombs.wixsite.com/website/recaps a week later. You will be notified via Meetup of both. 4. See The Chosen. Knowing Jesus Christ means being able to better relate to God. Check it out: The Chosen at https://thechosen.link/1Y1R7. 5. Respectfulness. We will be discussing differences between religions and between Christian denominations, and agree to be respectful at all times. Specifically, Protestants are our friends and brothers in Christ, and I personally owe part of my return to the faith to them. 6. No politics. It would be easy for us to self-destruct, but that’s not our goal. Our goal is to learn the Bible, explain the Catholic faith, and help members develop a closer relationship with the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit in their daily lives. 7. Catholic Prayer, Fellowship, and Spirituality Meetup led by fellow member Jason Goldberg: https://www.meetup.com/online-catholic-prayer-fellowship-and-spirituality/ 8. Prison fellowship – opportunities to volunteer one Saturday per month for 2 hours (12-2 or 2-4) serving Catholic prisoners at the Fairfax County Jail. Ask Ron (ron@hallagan.net) or Gina (gmasterson99@gmail.com) for details. Why? "I was in prison and you visited me." – Matt 25:36 RSVP Reminder: Please RSVP whether you are attending or just reading the notes afterwards. The more RSVPs, the more Meetup will give us recognition, which will draw others to us, which is our way of evangelizing! Bible Study Format: 5 min prayers, 10 min Catholic topic, 45 min main topic from the weeks listed below Week 1: Aug 2 – Gospel Week: Mary & Martha (Lk 10:38-42); Teach us to Pray (Lk 11:1-5,9-12); The Kingdom is like… (Mt 13…) Week 2: Aug 9 – Bible Week (Gen àRev): Joseph, Prime Minister of Egypt (Gen 43-50) Week 3: Aug 16 – Survey Topics Voted on by Members: We are currently on #2 Purgatory (final) à Next is Heaven I (Dante)
Ö 1) Jesus’ Greatest Parables 2) Hell, Purgatory, Heaven 3) Christian Comparisons 4) Great Women in the Bible 5) Why is there suffering? 6) World Religions 7) Book of Revelation 8) Major Councils/Crusades/Inquisitions
Week 4: Aug 23 (31) – Open Mic Week (anything goes!): Here are some open questions - we need to prioritize the top 3-4 monthly:
1. Can we have elevator responses for the Crusades and Inquisitions?
2. How should we be celebrating/honoring the Sabbath Sunday?
3. How does the possibility of other intelligent life in the universe affect our Catholicism?
4. What race was Jesus?
5. What is Sanctifying grace vs actual grace?
6. What is justice? Is it always good? Is Babylon from God or just natural justice? If one suffers but the results are good, is that justice?
7. Are Charity and Love synonymous? How are they different? What are the 4 highest forms of Charity?
8. What is the Heresy of the Good Serpent?
9. The love and unity of the Holy Spirit are two of its Trinitarian descriptions. How are they different? How does they affect us?
10. The knowledge of God is “participatory.” Is that why nonbelievers have difficulty?
Opening Prayer
Heavenly Father We pray that you would pour out the grace of the Holy Spirit upon us tonight
to open our hearts and enlighten our minds to the Sacred Scriptures and to the Sacred Traditions of your Church with regard to
The Assumption of Mary and the Church’s teachings on Purgatory.
And as your son, Jesus, taught us to pray:
Our Father Who art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily Bread;
And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us all.
Amen.
Upcoming Catholic Holy Days
The Assumption of Mary – Monday, August 15 (yesterday)
Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Q: Why does Mary’s bodily assumption make sense?
1) The stories in tradition from both the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches were from the first century.
2) Mary was free from Original Sin, which results in the death and decomposition of the body (to be reunited later). So she did not need to go through bodily corruption.
3) Mary did not “ascend” like Jesus, of her own will. She was "assumed" into Heaven by God’s will. This happened to Enoch and Elijah in the Old Testament, so it is not even unprecedented.
4) Mary was Jesus’ mother, chosen by God from all time to be the one to bring Jesus into the world. One should not be surprised that she received special treatment upon her death. Besides, what son wouldn’t do the same for his mother?
It’s true that the doctrine of the Assumption of Mary was formally promulgated by Pope Pius XII in 1950. Some non-Catholics presume that means this was the time when the Catholic Church came up with the idea. One could laugh except that some people actually believe that. As we have discussed before, councils and doctrines typically occur when there is a need for clarification or to settle some heretical claim. Just because they called the Father, Son, and HS the “Trinity” in the 4th century doesn’t mean that was the first time it occurred to them. The Assumption of Mary has been recognized by Christians under various names (i.e., Falling Asleep, the Dormition) from the first century and documented from the second century; not the Middle Ages and certainly not 1950. On the other hand, we can state that we have no document about Christians disbelieving in the Assumption prior to the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century.
Over the years, some people have confused “Assumption” with “Ascension.” Perhaps that’s part of the misunderstanding. Let’s clarify.
To ascend into heaven is to enter heaven by one’s own power, as Jesus Christ did. Indeed, as Christ himself said,
“No one has ever gone into (Greek anabebeken– ascended to) heaven except the one who came from heaven–the Son of Man” – John 3:13.
However, to be assumed into heaven means both body and soul are brought to heaven – not just the soul alone – by a direct act of God.
Other examples are Enoch and Elijah in the Old Testament:
Thus “Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, for God took him away” – Gen. 5:24.
Elijah was assumed into heaven, though in a more grandiose style (in a fiery chariot) – 2 Kings 2:11.
Catholics believe that Mary was assumed into heaven, though we generally believe that she died just before being assumed. This also is not a conflict, for people then (and now) know that death is immediately associated with a decomposing body. Not so for Mary, who was without Original Sin. But her Assumption was more or less immediate, anyway.
Therefore, Mary was redeemed by Christ like all Christians, but granted the special privilege of the Assumption because she was without sin and she was his mother!
Once Protestants understand this distinction between ascension and assumption, it often helps them move away from this idea (myth) that Catholics are “deifying” Mary.
Other facts and timeline
Q: Why is there little mention of Mary in Acts or the Epistles?
We often see the New Testament speak of the mysteries of the faith in clouded language. This was often done on account of the fierce persecution Christians faced from both the Jews and the Romans. The Gospel of John in particular is reluctant to spell out baptismal theology (John 3) or Eucharistic theology (John 6), although it does so in a way that only an insider would “get it.” Mary would have been revered without question – she was Jesus’ mother – but to speak of her openly would have placed her in danger.
Also, as Mary would have been the first to tell you, SHE was not the focus of the Gospel. She would have been the first to point you in the direction of her Son, not herself.
Q: Who remembers Mary’s last words in the New Testament?
“Do whatever he tells you.” – John 2:5, Wedding at Cana
Q: What dates do we think the Assumption took place?
Here is where we turn to Tradition. Everyone knew that Christ’s inner circle consisted of Peter, James, and John. They had killed James and captured Peter. John would have been next on the list. Tradition also indicates that the Jews sought to kill or disgrace the Mother of Christ. So John took Mary and relocated to Ephesus sometime shortly after the martyrdom of his brother James (AD 43 or 44).
Thus Mary was still alive in A.D. 43 and so the Assumption of Mary occurred sometime after this date. The tradition is almost universal that her death and assumption occurred in Jerusalem. An alternate version has arisen from the visions of the Venerable Anne Catherine Emmerich that Mary’s death, funeral, and assumption occurred earlier in Ephesus (about the time James was killed). One argument against this is that we know St. Luke interviewed Mary for his Gospel (the Infancy Narrative) and it does not seem that Luke was active in the Church that early. Most traditions place the timing before the death of Peter and Paul ( A.D. 64).
Therefore, A.D.63 fits the historical setting of most of the apocryphal legends retelling the Dormition of Mary with the eleven living Apostles present and Peter celebrating her funeral.
PURGATORY IV
The Hail Mary and Purgatory
Let’s take a look at the 2nd half of the Hail Mary from the perspective of Purgatory.
Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.
We don’t think much about the very last phrase, “and at the hour of our death,” do we?
Recall our last meeting on Purgatory – Dante meets the man waiting outside Purgatory – Giovanni – who was hell-bound but saved in the last second of his life by screaming “Maria!” The devil assigned to take him was left empty-handed as an angel swooped down and carried Giovanni to the doorsteps of Purgatory.
Tell me, what could possibly be more important than to pray now for Mary’s intercession at the hour of our death?
Purgatory Questions since last month
Q: Do you think it possible that we are able to reduce our purgatory time while still on earth, to partly make up for the sins of the past, although confessed and forgiven, but maybe incompletely as you pointed out?
Yes, you can reduce Purgatory time here on earth.
Although God's justice is perfect, it is perfect in the eternal sense. In our temporal, finite lives, God has suspended perfect justice enable us to make mistakes and be forgiven as often as possible while we reconnect with Him. If God’s perfect justice was in play here and now, none of us would be alive today.
Because justice is suspended here, we see bad people get away with bad things and good people suffer unnecessarily. When we re-enter the spiritual realm, justice will no longer be suspended.
How do we know?
Aside from God telling us (it's called Judgment Day), we can see it by human reason. Just look around us: everyone human being wants justice. It may be errant justice based on false premises, but in people's minds it is justice all the same. People will burn down cities for what they believe to be injustices. There are people who say they don’t believe in God because “how could a just God allow all the injustice in the world!” But where do unbelievers get this sense of justice by which they measure God’s existence?
They are looking the gift horse in the mouth. The only injustice committed on earth is by humans. God even goes so far as to pay for the justice that is due to us and continues offering us forgiveness (if we ask for it), so that when we return to the spiritual realm, rather than be crushed by the gavel of justice we will be welcomed gloriously into Heaven, as the original plan always was.
Back to paying down Purgatory.
Okay, so what about all the injustice going on here on earth? What about these bad people getting off easy and good people suffering sometimes for no reason at all?
Perfect justice will self-correct for any injustices the minute this temporary suspension is lifted on us. Would you expect anything less?
We think of these situations above as mostly situations we may have no control over, but that’s not always the case. Our free will has great potential to affect justice. When you help someone you don’t have to – just because it’s the right thing to do – that’s on the plus side of justice, is it not? That is as good as credit in the bank, but it is in your heavenly treasury. That credit will be taken into account when you die – i.e., against any Purgatory requirements you might have.
My analogy to a bank transaction is purely explanatory, but otherwise it’s a crude comparison. A truer explanation is that when you commit acts of kindness on earth that you didn’t have to do, it changes you as much as it helped the other person. Since Purgatory is all about transforming you in preparation for entering heaven, you’ve actually started transforming yourself early. You are becoming more Christ-like in THIS life. That is why you won’t need as much time in Purgatory. It’s not arbitrary in the least.
Q: What about if you perform your acts of kindness reluctantly?
Then obviously your “inner change” is not where it should be, and more time will be needed in Purgatory.
Q: What if the person you help deserves to be helped?
Then as a Christian we are expected to help. If we knew someone deserved help and did not help them, this is called a sin of omission. We usually think of sins we “commit.” Sins of omission are things we did NOT DO when we knew better and had the chance.
Q: What if the person is an ungrateful pig, and you feel resentment towards them for it not showing proper gratitude?
Then you will get credit for helping them and lose credit for resenting the fact that you helped them. Even-steven.
I hope you are seeing how perfect justice works – God isn’t waving a wand, we are!
Q: Okay, so let’s say this happens: the person doesn’t deserve any help, we help them anyway, and then they are a complete jerk about it. What are we expected to do? Where’s the justice in that?
a) Option one is that you can murder them and go straight to hell. Very straight forward.
b) Option two: you can hold onto your resentment towards them and carry a chip on your shoulder, in which case all the good you did was wasted.
c) Option three: instead of judging them, you call out to our good friend, Mary, and say, “Mary, Mother of God, did you see what that person just did? Please pray for them now and at the hour of their death, Amen!” You prayed for their souls instead of judging them and carrying a resentment – that’s huge. Now, you get credit for helping them, you get more credit because they didn’t deserve to be helped, and then even more credits because rather than judging them you prayed for them. You helped them and yourself in the process! Jackpot.
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Q: Ron, you have quoted a few Scripture passages in the past to support the existence of Purgatory, but nothing directly from Jesus. Is there anything from Him?
Actually, I have, but nothing that uses the “Purgatory.” However, there is nothing from Jesus about the words Trinity, Easter, Christmas, Christianity, or the Apostle’s Creed, either, but we know they are inferred and true.
That being said, some of the earlier passages I shared were: 2 Maccabees 12:41-46, 2 Timothy 1:18, 1 Corinthians 3:11-15, Matthew 5:22-26, Matthew 12:32, John 15:5, and Luke 12:46-47. The last three involve Jesus’ comments. Let’s just review the last one in Luke.
In Luke’s passage, Jesus is talking about always being ready for the end because we don’t know when death will come knocking. He compares it to the Master of the house returning from a distant wedding feast to find his servants in various states of readiness, and what will happen to them.
Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks.
Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them.
But if the servant (in charge) says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, to eat and drink and get drunk, then that servant’s master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will cut him in two and assign him a place with the unfaithful.
And that servant who knows his master’s will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall receive a severe punishment;
And the servant who was ignorant of his master’s will but still acted in a way deserving of a severe punishment shall only be punished lightly.
And everyone to whom much has been given, and still more will be required.
Q: What is in store for the servant in the first example was ready when the Master returned?
Not only was did he make it to heaven, but it says the Master will wait on him. That was one of Jesus’ twists in the parable that would have caught everyone’s attention because it made no sense. To Jesus’ audience, it would be ridiculous for the master to wait on his servants. Jesus does this on purpose when he is trying to get you to see something deeper. He is referring to what our experience will be like in Heaven – it will be beyond earthly words, as though God himself will be waiting on us when we get there.
Q: What is in store for the servant who not only was NOT ready, but also mistreated the other servants and got drunk (no doubt on the Master’s booze)?
This servant was cut in two. The meaning of that is that the servant can’t be saved, he’s a goner. This is the person who cheats on his own relationships, abuses other people, and is only concerned about himself. Justice says he joins the unfaithful in hell.
Q: What is in store for the other two servants? They don’t go to hell. They don’t go to heaven. Where else is there?
The Church eventually started calling this purgatory. Note that these two servants have not been kicked out and will remain with the Master (with God in Heaven), but they need to get a correction at the chiropractor, first.
Q: What is the difference between the servant who had to be punished severely and the one punished lightly?
Remember, the story is an allegory, not literal.
It means the time, or experience, in Purgatory is dependent on us, on our sins, and on how much inner fixing we need. It’s dependent on us.
Closing Prayer
Dear Mother Mary
We dedicate this closing prayer to you who intercede for us always.
We thank you and we appreciate your bringing us ever closer to your son, Jesus.
Hail Mary, full of grace the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
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